One Israeli, Three Arabs Killed in Week-end of Border Clashes

December 28, 1959

TEL AVIV (Dec. 27)

Three Arab infiltrators from the Gaza Strip were killed this week-end in a clash with an Israel patrol inside Israel territory, the Army spokesman reported here.

The clash developed when the patrol intercepted a group of infiltrators about ten miles inside Israel territory in the western Negev. There were no casualties among the Israeli patrol, the spokesman stated.

An Israeli border policeman was killed last Thursday morning when Syrians attacked an Israeli patrol near Beit Katzir, east of Lake Tiberias, using heavy and medium machine-guns from various positions. A military spokesman said the patrol had come under “heavy fire” from the Syrian positions. The patrol returned the fire.

It was the first serious attack by Syrians following a period of relative quiet, but indications of renewed hostile activities were disclosed recently when the Syrians placed mines in Israeli fields, damaging some tractors.